Apparatus for articulating hingedly connected parts



Sept; 1 1963 R. o. AAR LD ETVAL 3, 3, 8

APPARATUS FOR ARTICULATING HINGEDLY' CONNECTED mars Filed June 19, 19624 sheet -sheet 1- AT & y

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I 3 4 6 2 I r Sept.l7,19 fi- I R. o'. AARVOLD ETTAL. I I 3,103,958

APPARATUS FOR ARTICULATING HINGEDLY CONNECTED PARTS Filed June 19 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

APPARATUS FOR ARTICULATING HINGEDLY CONNECTED PARTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Set. 17, 1963 R. o. AARVOLD ETAL Filed June 19, 1962 INVENTOR.

Sept. 17, 1963 R. o, AARVOLD ETAL 3,

APPARATUS FOR ARTICULATING HINGEDLY CONNECTED PARTS Filed June 19, 1962-v 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 fl 'T 1 11 I I H' i Lfigfirq i l i l a 4 i 5 i TQM.5.

| l I a II t y INV EN TORS United States Patent 3,103,968 APPARATUS F011ARTICULATING HINGEDLY CONNECTED PARTS Reinhardt Olai Aarvold,Stenkullen, and Erik Holger Isaksson and Anders Georg Wadrnan, Goteborg,Sweden, assignors to Aktieholaget Giitaverken, Goteborg, Sweden, acorporation of Sweden Filed June 19, 1962, Ser. No. 205,178 4 Claims.(Cl. 160-4188) The present invention relates to an apparatus forarticulating hingedly connected parts, e.g. the sections of a shipshatch cover or the like, by the aid of a pressure medium operatedmechanism.

This application is a continuation in part of our pending applicationfor Apparatus for Articulating Hingedly Connected Parts, Serial No.749,684, filed July 21, 1958 (now Patent No. 3,056,386).

In common with our said pending application the object of the presentinvention is a mechanism working in direct connection with one or moreof the hinges or other devices connecting parts, which entails greatadvantages with regard to the space required.

Another object is the construction of a mechanism having a pair ofco-acting members movable parallel to the hinge axis thereby to providean apparatus simple in design and easy to cover.

Further objects will be apparent of the following specification and theappendant claims.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown by way of example asapplied to hatch covers. FIGURE 1 of the drawings shows a plan view of atween deck hatch cover consisting of two sections. FIGURE 2 is ahorizontal section through the closed cover, taken on line IIII inFIGURE 1, and FIGURE 3 is a corresponding section showing the cover inopen position. FIGURE 4 is an enlarged side view showing the mechanism,FIGURE 5 is a plan view of this detail and FIGURE 6 is an end view alongline VIVI in FIGURE 5. FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a deck hatchconsisting of two sections comprising a modification of the mechanismshown in FIGURE 1.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 16 an opening in a ships deck 1 isarranged to be closed by two sections 3 and 4, connected to each otherby means of hinges 2. One of the sections is attached to the deck bymeans of hinges 5 and the sections are so arranged that their uppersurf-aces in closed condition will be flush with the deck. The othersection is at its free end, in a known manner per se, provided withwheels 6. The wheels are adapted to roll along a runway 7, and theopening will be uncovered by folding the sections in a vertical positionat one side of the opening. Each runway for the wheels is here shapedwith a raised portion 8, on which the wheels run up when the hatch is tobe opened, and from which they slide down, thereby initiating theclosing movement when the hatch is to be closed. In the present case theactuating mechanism is thus adapted to perform an opening movement only.The closing movement is performed by aid of the force of gravity, themechanism having a braking action only.

The mechanism consists mainly of a cylinder 10 in which a piston havinga piston rod 9 is movable. The cylinder is provided with means 11 forthe supply of a pressure-medium, preferably oil. The cylinder isattached to section 4 and is arranged with its longitudinal axisparallel to the hinge axis 2. The cylinder is not rigidly connected tothe hatch cover section, but rests in supporting means, which allow amovement in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder. The cylinder 11as well as the piston rod 9* are provided with actuating "ice members inthe shape of a wheel 1-2 and wheel 12', respectively, each of whichcooperates with a transmission device 13, 13', respectively, attached tosection 3 and comprising a helical running track. These details will bemore exactly described in connection with FIGURES 4-6.

When a pressure-medium is supplied to the cylinder both the cylinder andthe piston move outwards from an intermediate position, and each ofwheels 12, 12' rolls along the corresponding helical track 13, .13. Thesections are then forced to turn on the hinges, so that the sections atlast are brought into the vertical position. When closing the hatchcover the force of gravity will perform the desired movement of thesections. The transmission devices will then force the piston and thecylinder against each other, and the velocity of the movement may beregulated by throttling the outlet of the pressure medium.

In FIGURES 4-6 numeral 15 designates a main covering plate of section 4,and 16 designates a reinforcement. In the same manner a covering plateand a reinforcement in section 3 are designated 17 and 18, respectively.At the hinge side the covering plate 15 protrudes a distance outside thereinforcement 16, and effectively protects the parts of the mechanismconnected to this section, i.e. the cylinder 10 with the piston rod 9'and the wheels 12, 12'.

Each of these wheels consists of three disks 19, 20, 21 mountedindependently of each other on a common shaft 22. The intermediate diskhas a groove in its periphery, and is adapted to co-operate with thehelical track 14. The disks 19 and 21 have plane contacting surfaces,and are arranged for co-operation with a guide 23, attached toreinforcement 16.

The disks 19 and 21 have smaller diameters than the disk 29 and theguide 23 is accordingly provided with a groove for the wheel 29* betweenthe tracks for the firstmentioned wheels.

The transmission device 13, which is attached to reinforcement 18,essentially consists of a hollow semi-cylinder, concentric with thehinge axis 2. The surface of the semi-cylinder is out along a helicalline, in order to produce the desired track 14 for the disk 20 of thewheel 12.

The bottom 24 of the semi-cylinder and a bracket 25 fitted into the sameform attachments for the hinge pin 2, which is connected to the othersection by means of two brackets 26, 27.

FIGURE 5 shows that the guide 23 and the track 14 are arranged at anangle to each other, and when the wheel is forced to the left in thisfigure, the parts will tend to move apart. As the sections are connectedby the hinge 2, this movement will bring about a folding action at thesections. The helical track is concentric with the hinge axis, and therelation between the track and the guide is the whole time unchanged. Asthe disks 19, 21) and 21 during the movement are rotating in oppositedirections, they can not be connected.

The pitch of the helical track as well as the diameter of thesemi-cylinder may be varied in conformity with the size and the weightof the sections, and also to the avaliable power. The pitch can bechanged along the track in order to produce greater or smaller actingpower at a certain position. Instead of a pure cylindrical surface thetrack may be arranged along a conical surface,

and in such a case the guide 23 will have a similar shape. Whenarranging the cylinder movable in relation to the sect-ion it ispossible to use the forces of reaction in order to influence a secondtransmission device but it is understood, that the number of thetransmission devices may vary, and that the actuating devices may bemade single-acting as well as double-acting.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 7 the arrangement of the hatchsections is substantially the same as shown in FIGURE 1 but themechanism for opening and closing of the hatch is double-acting.

In this case the mechanism consists of a cylinder 30 in which twopistons 31 and 32 each connected to a piston-rod 33 and 34,respectively, are movable to and from each other. The cylinder 30 isprovided with means 35, 36 and 37 for the supply and drain of apressuremedium. The cylinder 30 is rigidly attached to section 4 of thehatch cover and is arranged with its longitudinal axis parallel to thehinge axis 2. Each of the pistonrods are provided with an actuatingmember in the shape of a wheel 12, cooperating with a transmissiondevice 13 attached to section 3 and comprising a helical running track14. Said details have been described in connection with FIGURES 4-6.

When a pressure medium is supplied to the cylinder space between the twopistons through the means 36 said pistons and piston rods with thewheels move outwards from each other, and the wheels roll along thecorresponding helical tracks 14. The sections are forced to turn on thehinges so that the sections at last are brought into the verticalposition. The pressure medium in the cylinder behind the pistons thenwill be forced out through the means 35 and 37, respectively. Whenclosing the hatch cover pressure medium is supplied through the means 35and 37 to the space behind the pistons so that they will be forcedtowards each other and the velocity of the movement is regulated bythrottling the outlet 36 from the space between the pistons.

The invention may also be applied on other occasions, e.g. for operatingdoors or gates. Depending on the size of the parts connected to eachother, several devices of the kind described may be used, which possiblycould be supplemented by hinges of conventional design having a guidingfunction only.

As a pressure medium oil is preferably used which may be delivered fromapump unit or from a pressure tank of any kind. In the embodiment usedin hatch covers of ships the storage tank for the oil as well as thepressure tank or a pump together with a driving motor may be built intothe hatch cover sections so that the movable parts only have to besupplied with driving power for the motor, e.g. electric current.

What we claim is:

1. In a pressure fluid medium operating device for bringing about anangular displacement between hingedly connected first and second parts,an actuating device connected to said first part consisting of ahydraulic working cylinder arranged parallel to the hinge axis and apiston reciprocable in said cylinder, said piston having a piston rod, awheel-shaped operating member secured to said piston rod, 21 firststraight guide surface secured to said first part and axially spacedfrom said working cylinder, a hollow semi-cylindrical transmissiondevice connected to said second part, said transmission device having ahelical guide track thereon opposite to said first guide surface andconcentrically arranged relative to the hinge axis, said wheel-shapedoperating member being in engagement with said first guide surface andsaid helical guide track, and means for applying pressure fluid to saidcylinder to slidably displace the piston therein and cause saidoperating member to travel along said guide surface and track,respectively, to angularly displace said first and second parts relativeto each other.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the working cylinder (1%) ismovable in its longitudinal direction and wherein both the cylinder andthe piston rod (9) are provided with wheel-shaped operating members (12,12), each of said operating members being adapted to cooperate with atransmission device (13, 13').

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the wheelshaped operatingmember comprises at least two discs rotatably mounted independently ofeach other, one of said discs being adapted to cooperate with thehelical track on the transmission device and the other to cooperate withthe straight guiding surface on the first of said parts.

4. In a pressure fluid medium operating device for bringing about anangular displacement between hingedly connected first and second parts,an actuating device connected to said first and second parts consistingof a hydraulic working cylinder stationarily arranged parallel to thehinge axis, and two pistons reciprocable in said cylinder, each pistonhaving a piston rod, wheel-shaped operating members secured to saidpiston rods, two first straight guide surfaces secured to said firstpart on opposite sides of and axially spaced from said working cyl-g"inder, hollow semi-cylindrical transmission devices connected to saidsecond part, said transmission devices having a helical guide trackthereon opposite to each of said first guide surfaces and concentricallyarranged relative to the hinge axis, each of said wheel-shaped operatingmembers being in engagement with said first guide surface and saidhelical guide track, and means for applying pressure fluid to saidcylinder to slidably displace the pistons therein and cause saidoperating members to travel along said guide surfaces and tracks,respectively, to angularly displace said first and second parts relativeto each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent Gotaverken-HydraulicallyOperated Hatch Covers," Goteborg, Sweden, US. Patent Ofiice, Div. 53,received May 11, 1961.

1. IN A PRESSURE FLUID MEDIUM OPERATING DEVICE FOR BRINGING ABOUT ANANGULAR DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN HINGEDLY CONNECTED FIRST AND SECOND PARTS,AN ACTUATING DEVICE CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST PART CONSISTING OF AHYDRAULIC WORKING CYLINDER ARRANGED PARALLEL TO THE HINGE AXIS AND APISTON RECIPROCABLE IN SAID CYLINDER, SAID PISTON HAVING A PISTON ROD, AWHEEL-SHAPED OPERATING MEMBER SECURED TO SAID PISTON ROD, A FIRSTSTRAIGHT GUIDE SURFACE SECURED TO SAID FIRST PART AND AXIALLY SPACEDFROM SAID WORKING CYLINDER, A HOLLOW SEMI-CYLINDRICAL TRANSMISSIONDEVICE CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND PART, SAID TRANSMISSION DEVICE HAVING AHELICAL GUIDE TRACK THEREON OPPOSITE TO SAID FIRST GUIDE SURFACE ANDCONCENTRICALLY ARRANGED RELATIVE TO THE HINGE AXIS, SAID WHEEL-SHAPEDOPERATING MEMBER BEING IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST GUIDE SURFACE ANDSAID HELICAL GUIDE TRACK, AND MEANS FOR APPLYING PRESSURE FLUID TO SAIDCYLINDER TO SLIDABLY DISPLACE THE PISTON THEREIN AND CAUSE SAIDOPERATING MEMBER TO TRAVEL ALONG SAID GUIDE SURFACE AND TRACK,RESPECTIVELY, TO ANGULARLY DISPLACE SAID FIRST AND SECOND PARTS RELATIVETO EACH OTHER.